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4A – Daily News – Friday, May 6, 2011 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Editor wonders what readers believe can and should be included in a headline, considering all the space restraints and line break issues Writing headlines is tricky Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 business and one to which most reader give little thought — why should they? I like it when readers submit headlines with their news and community notices, but it’s rare they are not edited. Blame it on the difference between cyber and fiber, e-mail and print. A notice sent by e-mail affords virtually limitless space for detailed headlines that leave nothing open for interpretation. “Lassen Volcanic National Park’s Road Opens to Devastated Area,” topped a notice the park sent us recently. The headline that ran was “Lassen road opens.” With about a two-column width — around 3 1/2 inches — to work with, the headline sub- mitted by the park would have been four decks — four lines stacked on top of each other — or reduced so as to be hardly noticeable on the page. “Lassen road opens,” though, ran big and bold on a single deck. Despite a park official’s asser- tion that readers who only glance at the headline would show up at the park expecting the road to be open throughout the park, I thought the headline worked. Here are some general guide- lines for headlines. Keep words short — Words such as “approximately” and “revitalization” are doomed, oft swapped for “some” and “redo.” Limit length — See Lassen example above. Capital idea — Overuse of capital letters is endemic in sub- mitted headlines. While A Few Papers Capitalize The First Let- ter Of Every Word In Headlines, most do not. The Daily News does not. Capital punishment — Read- ers and some columnists believe the only way to make their head- lines stand out is to write them IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. I have yet to find a newspaper that publishes headlines in all capital letters. These just scratch the surface when it comes to the delicate act of com- posing headlines, but they are by far the most common fixes I do. To close, here is a famously bad headline for a chuckle. From the Idaho Mountain Express, a weekly that serves the Wood River Valley in Idaho. I’m proud to say I was able to interpret all but one of the acronyms, as my paper covered many of the same agen- cies and issues. Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. “DOE to do NEPA’s EIS on BNFL’s AMWTP at INEEL after SRA protest nuclear waste incin- erator to get full environmental study” Translation? “Department of Energy to do National Environmental Protec- tion Act’s Environmental Impact Statement on British Nuclear Fuels’ AMWTP at Idaho National Engi- neering and Environ- mental Laboratory after Snake River Alliance protest nuclear waste incin- erator to get full envi- ronmental study” The one I didn’t recognize apparently stands for Advanced Mixed Waste Treat- ment Project — an apt name for this train wreck of a head- line? Fully written out, the headline in that same two- column space would have been 19 decks. Guess that explains all the acronyms. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Get me to the church on time Commentary I don’t know if the Royal Wedding was the wedding of the century, but TIME thought it worthy of a special commemorative issue. The missus insisted we record the ceremony as it was going to be televised locally at 1 a.m. We did, and the viewing, over several evenings, proved to be quite enjoyable. We agreed the bride looked lovely and the groom was as handsome as the House of Wind- sor men can get. Whereas the missus zeroed in on the ceremony (she being an English history buff) I was particularly impressed with the scope and grandeur of Westminster Abbey built by Henry III in 1245...and came to a startling (for me) conclusion regarding same: Such reli- gious architectural marvels do more to confirm the concept of there being a God than any amount of genuflecting, sermonizing or cos- tuming. Add to the mix religious music such as Bach’s Mass in D minor or Hayden’s Messiah, and non believers would have a hard act to fol- low. Without putting too fine a point on it, one might conclude there must be a heavenly father and a basis for organized religion because it, the Abbey, is there. A believer, and yet a slacker when it comes to church attendance, might dis- agree and say one can reach the kingdom of heaven via prayer alongside a day bed, but it seems, in this instance, size counts. Many, when viewing this edifice for the first time, will do so in awe...in awe of the creator or in awe of the Creator. * * * Mrs. M. Tipton read last week’s Passing Parade regarding the late Paul Joe Rutala, our local certified genius, and recalled an incident in kindergarten when the children were asked to participate in a show and tell session. Paul Joe did quite well, she said, with his dissertation on the function of the dry cell battery. * * * A reader relates a story he heard about some clever practical jokers who let loose three sheep in a multi level high school back east one night…and numbered them 1, 2 and 4. Must have caused a bit of a hunt I would imagine. * * * Typo in the Rail Europe Web site as reported by the New Yorker: “Spain’s high-speed train transports you from the breathtaking monu- ments of Madrid to the art and design of Barcelona and the fine cuisine in Seville. It all starts with just a little inquisition below.” And the magazine commented, “Something tells us we’ve heard that one before.” * * * Much to my disappoint- ment, a book on tape of the short stories and poems of Dorothy Parker comes up short. The reader, a woman of broad exclamations, does not convey the essence of the devastatingly witty Ms. Park- er. I expected the rendering to be droll and sophisticated. Instead the reader speaks often in a whining and plead- ing tone. She doesn’t give us the picture of a woman in the 1920s capable of holding her own with male writers of that era. I recommend devotees of Parker to read her collected works as they were intended, from the printed page. * * * Speaking of the Royal Wedding, a local fel- low sent a letter to the editor of the London Times. I quote, in part: “I’ve spent time in Eng- land and know there are many who do not approve of royal excesses. The extravaganza that just took place in England is a tiny echo of the wealth gap here in the U.S. While there are actually riots by students in London and else- where in the U.K. protesting the increase in the costs of higher education, some entity is spend- ing a reported $70,000,000 to obtain the impri- matur of the High Church of England to sanc- tion William to go on shagging the woman he has been shagging for some time now. That amount would support 7,000 students at $10,000 per year. We seem to be slipping into total dysfunction as a society.” If published, the Queen has yet to respond. * * * Robert Minch I Say Last week’s quiz was first answered correct- ly by L. A. Walker who wrote, “Mother says Rio Street was originally known as High Street, and was famous as a street where ‘soiled doves’ lived and ran their business. It was also known for its opium dens. And the original city sewer pipes were made of hollowed out redwood.” This week’s quiz: In base- ball, what do the commenta- tors humorously call a fly ball that drops in just behind the infield players, how did the 7th inning stretch come to be a ritual in baseball and what position did Howard Taft play? * * * * * * * Although the Giants are in a slump, a simple explanation of the game may be helpful to those who view the national pastime for the first time. It is furnished by “Pas- tor Tim’s Clean Laughs,” or so I am told. The game is played by two teams, one out, the other in. The team that’s in sends players out one at a time to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn’t count. If, however, they get in before they get out, it does count. When the team that’s out gets three outs from the team that’s in, the team that’s out comes in and the team that’s in goes out. When both teams have been in and out nine times, the game is over. The team with the most in without being out, wins, unless the ones in are equal. In this case, the last time in goes out to get the team in out before they get in without being out. The game ends when each team has the same number of ins and outs, but one team has more in without being out. Is that clear? Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff and former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine. He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com.